Chapter – 17.
“Pirancheva went to the Dark Market?”
“Yes, my lord. It’s been confirmed that he purchased mana stones there.”
“Mana stones, you say?”
The Marquis of Eastern was receiving a full report concerning Pirancheva.
“I’ve also heard that he’s formed a mana circle.”
Commander Foren, who had just returned from a monster subjugation campaign with his knights and soldiers, didn’t know the detailed situation about Pirancheva. He only had a general report.
“That’s right,” said the Marquis. “According to Ollis, he received the blessing of mana and achieved cerebral awakening.”
“Then perhaps he’s trying to enhance his achievements with the help of a magic circle.”
“The help of a magic circle?”
“When it comes to magic, I’m far less knowledgeable than Commander Ollis. It would be best to summon him and ask for details.”
“Very well, call him.”
A short while later, Magic Commander Ollis arrived together with Knight Commander Foren.
“You’ve heard the gist of it from Foren, I assume?”
“Yes, my lord. Do you remember when Pirancheva asked you for mana stones?”
“I do.”
“It seems he plans to use magic circles to gather ambient mana for his training.”
“Would that sort of method really help? If it did, surely other mages would already be doing it.”
“While condensed mana can aid in meditation, it doesn’t have much effect on advancing one’s circle level.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. It might help with focus, but considering the cost of mana stones, the losses are huge. Even a mage with money to burn wouldn’t normally choose such an inefficient method.”
“So you’re saying Pirancheva is doing something foolish.”
“Pirancheva said he wanted to establish his own mana theory. Perhaps he’s experimenting with various methods.”
The Marquis nodded. That explanation made sense.
“But mana stones aren’t cheap. Where did he get the money for all that?”
“Most likely from his family when he left the Count’s estate. Even if you, my lord, provide for his stay here, he would still need personal funds. I imagine the Countess, who dotes on him, gave him a bottomless pouch filled with coins or gems worth exchanging.”
“Hmm, yes, that sounds like her.”
“The real problem, however, is how he learned about the Dark Market in the first place.”
“Couldn’t the knights have told him?”
“Our trainees are strictly forbidden to discuss anything unrelated to training. And only five knights, including myself, even know how to reach the Dark Market. I’ve already questioned them personally.”
“So you’re saying…”
“He must have had outside help, my lord.”
“From outside? You mean someone from the Amand Count’s household?”
“Otherwise, it would be impossible for a child like Pirancheva to find his way there.”
“Then it’s possible he’s been reporting our situation back to the Count’s family as well.”
The Marquis fell silent for a while, deep in thought. Both commanders also kept quiet.
“A daring boy, isn’t he? Is our Elina acting the same way at the Amand estate?”
Foren bowed slightly. “From what I hear, quite similar, my lord. But she doesn’t reveal anything about our family’s affairs.”
“Then perhaps Pirancheva is the same. In any case, instead of overthinking, why don’t we just ask him directly?”
As if reading the Marquis’s thoughts, Foren replied, “I’ll summon Young Lord Pirancheva immediately.”
＊ ＊ ＊
Pirancheva soon came before the Marquis after the unexpected summons.
“You called for me, my lord?”
“Yes. I hear you’ve been performing excellently in your training. Foren’s been so impressed, he’s insisting we take you in as one of our knights.”
“That’s only because the knights have been teaching me so well. And… I also want to keep my promise to you, my lord.”
“Our promise?”
“I said I’d show you just how stubborn I can be.”
The Marquis burst into laughter.
“Pirancheva, you probably know this already, but every time you go out, a knight follows you, yes?”
“Yes, I know. I thought that was your consideration for my safety.”
“Indeed. But today, I heard you went to the Dark Market.”
“Yes. I went to buy mana stones.”
Pirancheva spoke honestly, with no sign of deception.
“But how did you even know about that place? None of my knights would’ve told you.”
“I heard about it from the knights back home. They said the Dark Market is run by the Thieves’ Guild, and that each guild has its own unique emblem.”
“And?”
“When I was still at the family estate, I memorized all the emblems of the Thieves’ Guilds across the Empire—just for fun.”
The Marquis blinked in surprise.
“How many are there?”
“Twenty-three in total. Twelve of them are known to have ties with Information Guilds.”
“Impressive. You memorized them all?”
“Yes. I never planned to deal with the Thieves’ Guild or buy information, but I was bored. It was easy enough to memorize.”
The boy’s cheeky answer made the Marquis chuckle.
“So you found the Thieves’ Guild in my territory by recognizing their emblem?”
“Yes. I needed mana stones, and I couldn’t keep asking you for such expensive ones. So I thought I’d buy them myself.”
Seeing no trace of falsehood, the Marquis believed him.
“Pirancheva, the Dark Market is a dangerous place. Those people would do anything for a little profit.”
“Yes, I’m aware. But I was certain—and still am—that they wouldn’t dare touch me.”
“And why is that?”
“I’m already quite famous in the Empire. Elina too. Even if they don’t recognize my face, they must have heard my name.”
(Can such a calculating mind really belong to an eight-year-old?) the Marquis wondered, deeply impressed.
“If they know who I am, they’d realize that harming me would bring them nothing but trouble. In fact, they’d probably prefer to build good relations with me instead.”
“That… makes sense.”
“Just as I expected, they recognized me first. I used the method I’d learned from home to access the Dark Market, and they led me there safely.”
“And then you bought mana stones?”
“Yes.”
Pirancheva’s straightforwardness left the Marquis almost speechless.
“All right. But do be careful from now on.”
“Of course, my lord. Still, I think the Thieves’ Guild and the Dark Market will treat me kindly—as a valued customer.”
“Hahaha!”
The Marquis couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re right about that. No one satisfies their customers better than the Thieves’ Guild.”
After a hearty laugh, he asked, “So, what do you plan to do with the mana stones you bought?”
“First, I’ll repay the mana stones I borrowed from you, and then I’ll use the rest to draw and activate a multi-layered magic circle as a test.”
“A multi-circle?”
It referred to a magic formation composed of two or more overlapping circles—something only mages with deep understanding could attempt to draw.
“One circle gathers mana, and the other helps absorb it.”
“Absorbing gathered mana? Really?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard of that theory, but never of a successful case.”
“There are successful cases—just not ones made public.”
The Marquis immediately suspected that the Amand family had achieved it in secret.
“And by absorbing it, you’re increasing your total mana capacity?”
“Yes. But there’s a drawback.”
“A drawback?”
“You can increase your total mana, but unless you break through the next wall, it’s meaningless.”
The Marquis smiled at the boy’s honesty.
“You’re a third-circle mage now, right? So your total mana can’t surpass the limits of that circle.”
“Exactly. Still, compared to others of the same rank, my spells last a little longer.”
Naturally—more mana meant longer endurance.
(If a knight could use this kind of magic circle…?)
The Marquis shook his head. “All right. But if you sense any danger, stop immediately.”
“Yes, my lord. I’ll be careful.”
＊ ＊ ＊
After meeting with the Marquis, Pirancheva went to his private training ground and began drawing the magic circle on the floor. He took great care with every line—it took him a full week to complete.
That’s how complex and delicate multi-circles were; the slightest mistake could ruin everything.
Once it was done, Pirancheva fixed the mana stones in place—nine in total.
Finally, he sat cross-legged in the center and activated his mana hole.
Mana flowed out from his mana hole, circulated along his body’s energy paths, then exited through his pores.
The mana that left his body flowed into the magic circle.
Fwoosh!
The stones began to glow as the magic circle activated, drawing in surrounding mana.
Feeling the gathered energy, Pirancheva began circulating his Heavenly Demon Core Technique (Cheonmagong).
His mana circle slowly spun within his mana hole, stimulating the stored mana, which then spread throughout his body.
“Born from chaos…”
He recited the mantra-like words of the inner technique.
Pirancheva had told the Marquis the truth—but he’d hidden one detail.
One of the “multi” circles wasn’t for gathering or absorbing mana, but for purifying it.
It was well known across the Empire that pure mana—mana free of impurities—produced stronger magic, whether for wizards or knights.
Thus, the circle he’d drawn had two functions: mana condensation and mana purification.
His mana hole and circle naturally absorbed and released mana, so the purified energy flowed through him repeatedly, as if breathing.
The mana hole and circle acted like living things—when the refined mana entered, they greedily pulled it in, then exhaled it after circulation.
As this process repeated, even the mana already stored in his mana hole became purified.
Pirancheva savored the sensation of clean mana flowing through him—it felt exhilarating.
Perhaps because of that, he kept the inner technique running without pause, craving that pleasant sensation a bit longer.
Then, unexpectedly, he made a discovery.
When his mana hole became full, it distributed mana throughout his body—into his bones, tendons, and muscles—both strengthening and storing energy there, ready to be used even without drawing from the mana hole.
At that moment, Pirancheva recalled something from before—his spar with Commander Foren.
“Ah… So that’s how Commander Foren used the mana stored in his body to defeat me.”
